Dan Byles

Dan Byles is the Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire, and a member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. Follow Dan on Twitter.

The problem with trying to debate energy policy these days is the tendency for the argument to quickly polarise into two extreme views. Mediums such as twitter reduce discussion to over-simplistic view points, and nuanced debate can be virtually impossible. You're either a rabid green or a climate change denier. No middle ground allowed.

Discussions about shale gas and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) epitomise this problem. In the air war of soundbites and 140 character manifestos, shale gas is either a golden bullet and the answer to all our energy needs, or fracking is a dangerous and unproven activity that pollutes drinking water and could even cause Somerset to disappear under a volcano. As is usually the case in the real world rather than twitterland, the truth is almost certainly somewhere in the middle.

I take a close interest in UK energy security and affordability, and shale gas has interested me for some time. Until now I have broadly been of the view that UK shale gas reserves were likely to be useful, but not game changing. This is pretty much the official view on shale gas, and is the conclusion the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee (on which I sit) came to following our inquiry into the subject last year. However, this is an industry that is developing and learning rapidly.

Last week I attended the UK Shale Summit in London to learn what the current state of play is, and to see where industry and geological experts think UK shale gas potential now stands. I spoke at the conference on the politics of energy and shale gas. We have also seen a spate of recent reports on shale gas from some highly credible organisations. The Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the International Energy Agency and the Institute of Directors have all published reports in the last few months that are at least broadly positive for shale gas.

Dan Byles is the Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, and a member of the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee.

Next week the House of Lords Reform Bill comes before the House of Commons for the first time. Much has already been written about House of of Lords reform: a distraction from the very real problems our country is facing; an ill thought-through piece of legislation that will lead to political gridlock between the two chambers; an expensive and irreversible constitutional change to a system that works well; and the bizarre idea that a fifteen year term with no re-election provides any democratic accountability. I share all of those concerns. However, I would like to highlight an apparently minor and previously overlooked detail that demonstrates the lack of coherence in these plans. Namely the appointed ministerial members.

Now that the Bill is published, we can see in Clause 1 the composition of the new chamber. There will be 360 elected members, 90 appointed members, 12 Lords Spiritual and "any ministerial members." When I read that last part, I was intrigued. I delved a little deeper.

The ministerial members will be appointed by the Prime Minister, and they will stay a member for the rest of that electoral period (i.e: until the next general election) and the following two electoral periods - potentially for up to 15 years. This is regardless of how long they remain a minister. This is also in addition to the 90 appointed members.

Dan Byles is the Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire & Bedworth, and a member of the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee.

It's Monday morning, and alarms are going off in Acacia Avenue, Somewhereville. Residents are waking up and switching on lights, kettles and toasters. As the demand for electricity starts to spike, unseen by residents the smart grid (which regulates demand and supply) increases the availability of power for the homes in Acacia Avenue. In layman's terms, power 'flows' into Acacia Avenue from the grid.

By mid morning, residents have finished their breakfasts and left for work. The kettles and toasters are now cold, and the lights off. Meanwhile, the sun has come out and is shining on the solar panels that adorn every roof. As each house flips from being a net consumer of power to a net generator, the 'flow' reverses and Acacia Avenue starts to feed power into the grid instead of consuming it.

The previous evening, Mr Average at number seven had filled his washing machine with laundry and turned it on. He has a new 'smart' washing machine which allowed him to programme when he wants it finished by, and he selected 6pm Monday evening. This isn't a timer. It is smarter than that. His washing machine doesn't decide when to switch itself on, nor does any computer inside his house. The grid itself makes that decision, and in this case it decides at 11.34am that demand is low across the grid and it is a good time for Mr Average's laundry to be done.

Dan Byles
is the candidate for North Warwickshire and a former Army officer. He
served as a staff officer in the MOD during the Iraq invasion, and at
the age of 27 was the then youngest serving Major in the Army.

Last week, three British soldiers in Afghanistan were killed in a
friendly fire incident. In the same week, the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime reported that opium production in Afghanistan has doubled in the
last two years and now accounts for 93% of the world’s opiates.

I am a realist when it comes to the horror and confusion of war, and I
refuse to join the usual America-bashing over these tragic deaths.
Mistakes happen on the battlefield, and British lives are being saved
daily by American close air support. I am less forgiving, however, when
it comes to sending British servicemen and women to war with equipment
that is known to be inadequate.

The lack of an effective ‘battlefield identification system’ was
highlighted five years ago by the Public Accounts Committee, and again
in May of this year. Like the requirement for off-the-shelf Cougar
armoured vehicles, which was identified as an urgent operational
requirement in 2001 but took five years to implement, it seems that
nothing is done until enough soldiers have lost their lives.

Dan is a Conservative candidate and former Officer of the Royal Medical Corps. This is an account of his experience embarking on a recent polar expedition in aid of the The Carpe Diem Trust, and the lessons to draw from it.

"On a Polar expedition begin with a clear idea of which Pole you are aiming at, and try to start facing the right way. Choose your companions carefully - you may have to eat them." (Unknown)

On 1 April, less than a month after being selected at an open primary as the new PPC for North Warwickshire, I found myself flying to Canada for my long planned expedition to the Magnetic North Pole. The timing couldn’t have been worse. As the new PPC, I was expected to play a prominent role in the local election campaign. Instead I would miss the entire campaign, and wouldn’t even know the results until I reached civilisation and found a phone several days after the big day.